UK - The largest annual fundraising event in the world, the 2015 London Marathon took place on Sunday 26 April with over 37,000 participants.

For the past five years, Hertfordshire-based Mr H Productions have supplied sound reinforcement at two points on the 26 mile route, one of which is right at the half way point.

"Every year seems to get better, we are placed at the half way mark, and entertain the cheering crowds as well as the participating runners." says Mr H Productions creative founder Andrew J Harvey. "This is very important, as the runners are given that ex

Germany - Acoustic Development enjoyed a very successful Pro Light & Sound in Frankfurt, reporting orders totalling £250,000 received at the show.

"We look to the future with great enthusiasm and determination to develop our innovative technology into the absolute market leader within our industry," says the company. "Our designs gained a lot of attention at Frankfurt causing many strange looks and flashing of cameras. It seems many visitors including the competition were curious as to how we loaded 10 transducers into our AD2000LA which measures just 750 x 270 x

USA - Behringer has announced a major reduction in the U.S. MAP (Minimum Advertised Price) of the company's best-selling X32 and X32 Compact Digital Mixing Consoles, and their respective Touring Packages (TP). The new pricing takes effect on 15 May.

"Sales of our X32 Digital Mixing Console have far exceeded our expectations, with the X32 rapidly becoming the industry's best-selling digital mixer of all time. The X32 mixer has revolutionized the market and until today offers an unprecedented audio quality with Midas designed preamps and connectivity with the P16 Personal Monitor s

UK - The SSL Live L300 console is making its PLASA Focus Leeds debut with UK dealer HD Pro Audio on stand N-A26. HD Pro Audio will also be showing the new V3 software that introduces over 40 new software and hardware features and updates for the SSL Live console range.

"With impeccable sound quality, the SSL Live consoles have created serious interest and demand since their introduction," said Andy Huffer of HD Pro Audio. "PLASA Focus gives us the opportunity to show the powerful V3 release for the first time at a UK exhibition, so we're looking forward to a very busy s

Italy - Named after a local Jesuit who was a former director of Vatican Radio, Cine Teatro Padre Giacomo Martegani is a community venue in the Italian commune of Cairate, Lombardy. A recent refurbishment has included the installation of a complete Yamaha audio system.

Run by a core of around 50 local volunteers of all ages, under the watchful eye of local pastor Don Basilio Mascetti and director of operations Fabrizio Ferrario, the 260-seat venue hosts theatrical performances, live music, dance, a film club, meetings and a range of other local events. Its core aim is to promote local

UK - Local authorities around the UK, faced with providing an ever increasing number of services from diminishing budgets, have been introduced to an elegant integrated 'one button' webcasting and audio/videoconference facility by Jon Hunnisett of technology specialists, Sound Advice PA Installation Ltd.

In designing a system that enables separate video and audio streams to be combined, councils can engage more with their constituents by allowing sessions to be web-streamed and viewed over the internet.

At the heart of his solution is RCF's intuitive Forum 9000 digital conferencing

Germany - With its new Meyer Sound CAL column array loudspeakers, the Grand Elysee Hotel in Hamburg, Germany can now provide clarity for both speech and music presentations in the Spiegelsaal (Mirror Room) while also solving a design challenge for the large and reflective space.

"With CAL, speech intelligibility at the far back of the full room is excellent," reports Stefan Gurr, head of event and communication technology for the Grand Elysee Hotel. "Guests have commented that it is very easy to understand the presenters. And with the additional subwoofers, the system i

UK - Cadac is debuting its brand new CDC six digital live sound production console in the UK at PLASA Focus 2015. Launched worldwide last month at Prolight+Sound, Cadac claims that the CDC six features the fastest, most intuitive user interface and highest possible audio performance of any audio mixing console available.

Cadac will be exhibiting a pair of CDC six consoles at the show, along with Cadac's MegaCOMMS networking products, including the CDC MC Router, the CDC MC MADI audio network bridge and the new Version 2 CDC MC Dante MegaCOMMS bridge.

The CDC six is based around a fu

UK - A Scottish business, which supplies sound systems to the largest international live music, sporting and entertainment events, is celebrating 35 years in the business. Leading pro-audio provider The Warehouse Sound Services, whose clients have included, the BBC, Paramount Pictures, Edinburgh Festival Fireworks Concert, The Royal Conservatoire of Scotland and the Edinburgh International Conference Centre, is now planning further expansion following a multi-million pound management buy-out.

The company which has supplied equipment to bands including Muse, Biffy Clyro and Simple Mind

UK - Oxford-based W E Audio has recently extended its inventory of MLA Compact and MLA Mini to meet the rising demand for this multiple awarding winning series across open air/festival applications, whilst increasing their system capabilities for large touring purposes.

W E Audio was the first rental partner in the UK to invest in MLA Compact back in 2013, and their most recent investment has included another 12 MLA Compact, bringing their stock to a total of 36 elements. In addition, the recent purchase also included four more DSX-F Flying double 18" subs and four MLX Hybrid dou

USA - InfoComm 2015 will mark the US debut of the new Meyer Sound Leopard line array loudspeaker and its accompanying 900-LFC low-frequency control element. The smallest and most versatile members of the flagship Leo family, the new system will be demonstrated live during the show, along with a range of other high-performance loudspeakers for installations and touring.

Boasting tremendous power-to-size ratio with ultra-low distortion, Leopard and the 900-LFC element offer an unprecedented level of clarity, power, precision, and ease of use. To hear the full power and capability of the

Germany - One of the great palaces of Europe, Münchner Residenz (Munich Residence) is the former royal palace of the Bavarian monarchs of the House of Wittelsbach in the centre of the city of Munich. The Residenz is the largest city palace in Germany and is today open to visitors who come to view its architecture and gardens, interior decorations and displays from the former royal collections.

Housed in the Festsaalbau wing of the Residenz is the Herkulessaal (Hercules Hall), which provides a beautiful and atmospheric setting for classical concerts and is one of the primary concert v

Qatar - In what has been one of the largest and most complex wireless audio system deployments in the Middle East, the Sheraton Doha, a five-star hotel in the capital of Qatar, has successfully leveraged Sennheiser solutions to roll out a state-of-the-art wireless conference and translation system across its entire meeting and conferencing facilities. The landmark project, which was handled by the Doummar Group, ensures that the Sheraton Doha can offer the very best event, meeting and conference facilities to its customers.

"The Sheraton Doha spared no expense and every system th

USA - Barry Manilow is back on the road for One Last Tour and this time he really means it. Veteran live sound engineer Ken Newman, who began working with Manilow in 1992, is mixing with a Martin Audio MLA system for the first time, engineered by Delicate Productions crew chief Phil Reynolds.

Manilow had 25 consecutive Top 40 hits between 1975 and 1983 and worldwide sales of over 80m albums over his four-decade career. Last year's My Dream Duets debuted at No. 4, making it his 15th Top 10 album. Meanwhile, Ken Newman has worked with everyone from Shirley MacLaine, Liza M

China - One of the top 10 chains in China, leisure, entertainment and business corporate Da Yue Xiu Entertainment Group is the biggest KTV (karaoke) brand in the country's Henan province. The Group also specialises in non-KTV venues, with three recently-opened bars all featuring Coda Audio systems.

W Music Club is a new chain of venues which highlights the atmosphere of both live and recorded music, but at generally lower volumes than a traditional nightclub. The first branch - in Henan province capital Zhengzhou - attracted a very positive response and so two more, in the cities of N

Canada - Located in the Canadian province of Quebec, l'Université de Sherbrooke is a French-speaking institution with over 40,000 students, who have at their disposal arts and entertainment facilities that include a 1,500 capacity theatre hosting national and international artists.

Recognized throughout the industry and named after the university's first secretary general, Maurice O'Bready, the venue recently underwent a complete aesthetic upgrade and technological overhaul, including the installation of a new sound system by Italian manufacturer Outline, which is attracting co

UK - One of the UK's most sought after session musicians, musical directors, programmers and educators, Donavan Hepburn has worked with Take That as live drummer on every tour, and has also played with Jeff Lynne (ELO), Tom Jones, Adele, and Olly Murs.

For a long time Donavan had been looking for an alternative device that would reliably play back high quality audio to replace his old and bulky units.

"I was looking for a compact, reliable, high quality recorder/player, and above all it had to be rock solid," says Donavan. "I'd tried other devices but they didn't quit

USA - Guitarist Al McKay and his band, the Al McKay Allstars, are travelling the world, performing with a collection of DPA Microphones' d:facto Vocal and d:vote 4099 Instrument Mics. Selected by the group's longtime FOH engineer, John A. Baker, the mics complement the funky style of music the group performs.

A five-time Grammy Award-winner, Al McKay is a guitarist, songwriter and producer. Best known as former lead guitarist for the American funk band Earth, Wind & Fire, McKay has writer and producer credits for the hit songs September and Boogie Wonderland.

As an ode

UK - The Low Carbon Innovation Fund (LCIF) has backed temporary power specialist Midas Productions with a five-figure sum, accelerating the company's development programme.

Supported by the European Regional Development Fund and private sector investment, the LCIF provides equity finance for East of England SMEs contributing to the low carbon economy.

Sam Burton, project officer for Creative Industries, comments, "Midas ticked a lot of the boxes in way very few businesses in the region can. It's given recycled biodiesel a platform in number of sectors and a unique profile at ev

UAE - Backed by a host of wireless microphone and in-ear monitor systems from Sennheiser, Robbie Williams successfully wooed over 20,000 fans during the Abu Dhabi leg of his Let Me Entertain You tour on Saturday 25 April 2015.

For its inaugural Robbie Williams experience, Abu Dhabi was treated to quality audio, courtesy of the entertainer's Sennheiser tour kit which primarily includes SKM5200 MkII handheld microphones with 5235-J Capsules and SR2050 Dual Channel In-Ear Transmitters.

Commenting on the performer's preferred choice of microphone, Joshua Lloyd, system engineer at

UK - Debuts are to the fore at this year's PLASA Focus: Leeds, with more and more exhibitors choosing it as the UK launch pad for new product releases, including Cadac's new CDC six and DiGiCo's S21 mixing consoles, Meyer Sound's Leopard loudspeaker system and Zero88's FLX lighting console.

At the entrance to New Dock Hall, Martin Professional is displaying its new VDO Sceptron indoor/outdoor LED strips, which come with a choice of diffusers, the 6mm Fenix panel video and Rush 650 and 850 smoke products. Also on show are the Quantum Wash and Quantum Profile, launched last year, as wel

Switzerland - Derived from their successful Horus and Hapi family of RAVENNA-enabled networked audio interfaces, Merging Technologies has taken their expertise into the consumer market with the launch of their high-end audiophile D/A converter, NADAC.

NADAC, the first ever Network Attached Digital to Analogue Converter (DAC), is available in two versions - stereo or 8-channel - NADAC is the first device to bring the power of RAVENNA networking into the home, thus removing traditional limitations to boost performance to levels never yet experienced in a consumer setting.

So why a net

USA - The New York State Department of Labour is responsible for enforcing labour laws and administering unemployment benefits in the Empire State. This is no small task, of course, and the department's huge team of lawyers, administrators, and investigators do their work in Building 12 at the W. Averell Harriman State Office Building Campus in Albany, New York.

Constructed in 1963, Building 12 shelters 675,000sq.ft spread over five floors plus a basement, and, until recently, its antiquated emergency paging system was failing in one way or another in most zones. Prime contractor Simp

USA - Sensaphonics has just completed its first two music industry audiology seminars of 2015 - one for new members, the other a refresher course for Gold Circle audiologists. The Gold Circle programme supplements traditional audiology teachings by addressing the specific needs of the music industry, specifically the need to preserve hearing through the proper use of in-ear monitors and hearing protection.

"Musicians are at high risk of hearing damage, and in-ear monitoring is the perfect opportunity for musicians to listen more safely while actually improving their stage experie

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